Queen for a Day: What’s Happening in NYC’s Outer Borough

While many tourists head to New York City with their eyes set on the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center, one can jump on the subway (approximately 15 minutes from Times Square depending on your final destination) and become "Queen" for a day. Queens’ 2.2 million residents appreciate the varied ethnic and cultural influences, from the bounty of Greek establishments in Astoria to the country’s largest collection of film, TV and digital artifacts at the Museum of the Moving Image.

Here’s the best of what’s happening this month:

A Taste of This Month’s Cultural Calendar

Through Jan. 26Long Island City Winter Show, Diego Salazar Art Gallery, 31-25 44th Avenue, Long Island CityAn exhibit of those who are making art in Long Island City studios or have in the recent past. Free

Jan. 10-26"Urinetown" at the Secret Theatre, 44-02 23 Street, Long Island CitySet in a Gotham-like city, this Tony-award winning musical is a comic tale of greed, corruption, love and revolution in a time when water is worth its weight in gold. Times vary by day. $18.

Head to western Massachusetts for a Gilded Age dream any time of year. From rolling orchards and farm-to-table to cuisine to an unparalleled cultural scene, the Berkshires is the perfect D.I.Y. getaway for a true sense of the American spirit.

What's different about New Orleans a decade since Katrina is a newfound infatuation from those who survived the storm and those who were drawn there in the aftermath. If America is a melting pot, then New Orleans is a big pot of tasty gumbo.